Pre-Intermediate - English Center

Pre-Intermediate

1 Scotland, Wales and Ireland

Background Scotland was an independent kingdom until it united with England in 1707 to form Great Britain. Scotland still has its own legal system and education system, and the Scottish people have a strong sense of their own cultural identity. Scotland was governed from London until the rise of Scottish nationalism at the end of the twentieth century led to the creation of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in 1998, which is now responsible for domestic policies. Wales was conquered by England in the thirteenth century, and was officially joined to England in the sixteenth century. As with Scotland, Wales has retained a strong sense of its own identity, through its language, music and other cultural traditions. Great Britain and Ireland became united in 1801, but in 1922, following a period of unrest, the Republic of Ireland split off and became an independent country. Northern Ireland continued to be part of the United Kingdom, but unrest and violence continued in the province throughout the twentieth century between groups who wanted to remain part of the UK and those who wanted an independent united Ireland.

Pronunciation Edinburgh /"edInbr@/ Hogmanay /"hQgm@neI/ loch /lQk/ Cardiff /"kA:dIf/ Eisteddfod /aIs"tedf@d/ Snowdonia /sn@U"d@UnI@/ Brecon Beacons /"brek@n "bi:k@nz/ Pembrokeshire /"pembr@kS@/ bodhran /"bQdr@n/ Gaelic /"geIlIk/

Notes on the unit 1 Discuss the questions as a class. Answers Scotland: bagpipes, men wearing kilts, tartan, traditional music, mountains (Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK), lochs (lakes) – including a loch with a monster, glens (valleys), films such as Braveheart and Local Hero, football. Wales: music, poetry, male voice choirs, coal mining (in the past), mountains, hills, valleys, beaches, national parks, rugby. Ireland: countryside, rain, lakes, St Patrick’s Day, music, poetry, story-telling, fiddles (violins), pipes, banjos, folk music, bands such as U2 and Westlife, Gaelic football, hurling.

3 Ask students to find the words in the texts and work out their meanings. Answers 1 a pattern, an arrangement of shapes and colour 2 low areas of land surrounded by higher ground 3 an opponent or competitor 4 a group of people who sing together 5 a time when there isn’t enough food 6 moved to another country 7 someone’s children and children’s children 8 origins

4 Ask students to find words in the text which match the meanings. Answers 1 kilt 2 tartan 3 Eisteddfod 4 Welsh 5 The Emerald Isle 6 three of the following: fiddles, pipes, banjos, bodhrán

5 Divide the class into A, B and C students. Ask students to read their text again and prepare answers for their questions. Put students into groups of three and ask them to ask and answer the questions. Answers A (Scotland) 1 bagpipes 2 It’s light until 11pm. 3 Ben Nevis 4 football teams B (Wales) 5 in the mining communities of south Wales 6 a waterproof jacket, a raincoat 7 Welsh 8 Before a rugby match. C (Ireland) 9 the Republic of Ireland 10 Because the countryside is so green and beautiful. 11 Because thousands of people emigrated to the USA during the famine in the 1840s. 12 It’s a sport like hockey.

What do you think? Put students into pairs or small groups to discuss, then conduct a whole class discussion.

PROJECT

Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it in class, working in pairs.

2 Ask students to read the texts and check their answers.

New Headway Pre-Intermediate Culture and Literature Companion Teacher’s Guide 1

Pre-Intermediate

2

What do you think?

The world of football

Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.

PROJECT

Background In Britain, as in many other countries in the world, football is almost like a religion to the large numbers of people who travel each week to watch their favourite team play. As well as the professional clubs, there are thousands of small clubs for adults and children all over the country, run by volunteers. As the sums of money paid for the TV rights to Premier League matches have continued to increase, many people now think that top flight football has lost its soul, with tickets being beyond the reach of its traditional working class fan base.


Pronunciation Premier League /"premi@ "li:g/ Aussie rules /"Qzi "ru:lz/ Gaelic football /"geIlIk "fUtbO:l/ 1 Discuss the questions as a class. Ask students to read the texts to check their answers. Answers Association football (soccer), American football, Australian-rules football, Gaelic football

2a Ask students to read the texts again and complete the table. Answers 1 American football, Australian-rules football, Gaelic football 2 soccer 3 soccer, American football 4 Australian-rules football 5 soccer, Gaelic football 6 American football, Australian-rules football 7 Australian-rules football 8 American football, Australian-rules football 9 soccer 10 American football

2b Put students into small groups and ask them to choose facts about one of the sports and ask their group members to say which sport it is. 3a Ask students to match the words to the pictures. Answers 1b 2d 3a 4c 5f 6e

3b Ask students to translate the words and phrases into their own language.


Pre-Intermediate

3 Three famous characters in British fiction

Background The Sherlock Holmes stories are widely read in Britain, but for most people the character of Sherlock Holmes is more familiar through the many film and TV adaptations of the stories. He is probably the best known fictional detective in Britain, and his name is used allusively in the context of anyone displaying great powers of perception or deduction. Ian Fleming’s James Bond stories have never been especially popular as books, but the film adaptations have been extremely successful, making James Bond the archetypal international spy. The Harry Potter books have been the most successful books for children ever published in Britain, and have made their author a multi-millionaire. Although some literary critics have questioned their literary worth, there is no doubting their huge popularity with children and adults alike.

Pronunciation Sherlock Holmes /"S3:lQk "h@Umz/ Arthur Conan Doyle /"A:T@ "k@Un@n "dOIl/ Guiness Book of Records /"gInIs bUk @v "rekO:dz/ 007 /"dVbl @U "sev@n/ Lord Voldemort /"lO:d "vQld@mO:t/

Notes on the unit

4 Ask students to read the texts again and answer the questions. Answers 2 Dr Watson is Holmes’s friend and the narrator in most of the stories. 3 Intrepid was William Stephenson. He was a spy master in World War II. Intrepid was his code name. 4 Sean Connery. 5 An evil wizard. 6 He was a friend of J K Rowling’s when she was a child.

5 Ask students to decide if the character adjectives are positive or negative, then match them to a real person or a fictional character. Answers positive: Bohemian (Sherlock Holmes), eccentric (Sherlock Holmes), brave (Harry Potter), determined (Harry Potter) negative: disorganized (Sherlock Holmes), arrogant (James Bond), cold (James Bond), evil (Lord Voldemort)

6 Ask students to match the words to form collocations, then check their answers in the texts. Answers 2 to get up late 3 to break the law 4 to break into a house 5 to play a part (in a film) 6 to make mistakes 7 to lose your temper

What do you think?

1 Discuss the questions as a class. Answers Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He’s a detective. James Bond – Ian Fleming. He’s a spy. Harry Potter – J K Rowling. He’s a wizard.


PROJECT


2 Ask students to read the texts quickly to get an idea of the general meaning. 3 Ask students to read the texts again and complete the table. Put students into pairs to ask and answer questions. Answers Author

Name of Date of Based Personality and habits character first on real appearance people?

Evidence of popularity

Sir Arthur Sherlock Conan Doyle Holmes

1887

yes

Bohemian, disorganized, eccentric, gets up late, Author had to revive him after he’d killed him off in keeps his tobacco in a Persian slipper, untidy, one of his stories. sometimes forgets to eat, sometimes breaks the law

Ian Fleming

James Bond

1953

partly

likes fast cars and beautiful women, likes scrambled eggs and coffee, clever, athletic, cold, arrogant

There are films of all the Bond novels. Video games, comic strips, model cars and other gadgets.

J K Rowling

Harry Potter

1997

yes

has a strong sense of right and wrong, brave, determined, sometimes makes mistakes, sometimes loses his temper

The books are in 67 languages, and sell millions of copies; films, video games and other merchandise.


Pre-Intermediate

4

2 Ask students to read the text and choose the correct final sentence for each paragraph.

The Caribbean

Background As stated in the text, the Caribbean has strong historical ties with Britain, which have continued into modern times. Many young black British people have their family roots in the Caribbean, and may still have members of their extended family there. Many of the Caribbean countries are still members of the Commonwealth of Nations, an organization of former British colonies who trade with each other and compete in sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games, a major athletics competition. Cricket is also a major link between the countries, with annual matches between Britain and the West Indies.

Pronunciation Caribbean /k&rI"bi:@n/ Jamaica /dZ@"meIk@/ The Bahamas /D@ b@"hA:m@z/ Trinidad and Tobago /"trInId&d @n t@"beIg@U/ St Lucia /seInt "lu:SI@/ Christopher Columbus /"krIst@f@ k@"lVmb@s/ Andrea Levy /"&ndrI@ "li:vi/ reggae /"regeI/ 1 Ask students to match the islands to the languages. Discuss the question as a class. Answers Puerto Rico – Spanish Guadalupe – French Jamaica – English Cuba – Spanish Martinique – French The Bahamas – English Aruba – Dutch Trinidad and Tobago – English St Lucia – English These languages are spoken in the Caribbean because the islands were colonized by Europeans.

Answers 2d This is why the majority of the people who live there today are of African descent. 3c These people felt as if they were going home to the ‘Mother Country’ (and were surprised at the poor standard of living, poor manners, and racial prejudice they often met there). 4e To see and hear them all in one place, go to the Notting Hill Carnival in London! 5b Both have won the Nobel Prize for Literature. 6a The high point was when Usain Bolt became the fastest man in the world over 100 metres.

3 Ask students to read the text again and answer the questions. Answers 1 Haiti and the Dominican Republic 2 Because they thought they were in India. 3 The sailors communicated with the slaves in English. The slaves came from different parts of Africa and didn’t speak the same language, so they used English as the common language. 4 Because children learned the same things as British children learned at school. 5 Because they saw Britain as their Mother Country and because there were jobs there. 6 Jamaica, because of Bob Marley. 7 He’s from Trinidad. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature. 8 He writes poetry and plays. 9 The West Indies team.

4 Ask students to find the words and phrases in the text, then match them with the definitions. Answers 1 voyage 2 plantation 3 slaves 4 impact 5 playwright 6 native 7 illegal 8 prominent 9 landed 10 encouraged 11 took the world by storm

What do you think? Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.

PROJECT



Pre-Intermediate

5 The Story of English

Background The English language is the result of a mixture of different influences. It started out as a Germanic language, but was heavily influenced by Old Norse, following invasions by Vikings in the 8th and 9th centuries, and later by Old French, following the Norman Conquest of Britain in the 11th century, when French became the official language in England for 300 years. A lot of technical or medical words were formed directly from Latin or Greek and taken into English. Because of the varied history of the language, there are words in English that speakers of various languages will recognize as being similar to words in their own language. English is now an official language in 53 countries, and is spoken in total by more than 500 million people.

Pronunciation Virginia /v@"dZInI@/ pidgin /"pIdZIn /

3b Ask students to read the text again and answer the questions. Answers 1 They went to Canada to farm, fish and trade in furs. They went to the Caribbean because they owned plantations there and they took slaves to work on them. The British sent their criminals to Australia. 2 In words like bath the ‘a’ is short, like the ‘a’ in bad. 3 In Australian English today, there are examples of Cockney rhyming slang and pronunciation (for example, ‘make’ sounds like ‘mike’). There are similarities between New Zealand pronunciation and Scottish English (for example, the sounding of the ‘h’ in ‘where’)

4 Ask students to match the words and phrases with their meanings. Answers 2k 3j 4h 5a 6g 7d 8f 9b 10i 11e

5 Ask students to work in pairs to write the standard English.

Notes on the unit 1 Discuss the question as a class. Example Answer Britain, the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand

2 Ask students to read the texts quickly to understand the general meaning, without worrying if they don’t understand every word. 3a Ask students to read the text again and complete the timeline. Answers 1720s The Irish and Scottish emigrated in large numbers to America. 1760 Britain became the ruling power in Canada and English became the dominant language. 1765 British rule began in India. 1770 Captain Cook, a British sailor and explorer, reached Australia. 1776 One in seven people in America was of Scots or Irish origin. Some people moved from the new United States to Canada in order to live under British rule. 1788 Britain started transporting prisoners to Sydney, Australia. 1806 British control in South Africa began. 1822 English became the official language in South Africa. 1840 New Zealand became a British colony.

Answers 1 B And did you get it? 2 Do it immediately. 3 B Were they? 4 He went to school every day last year. Now, he sometimes goes, and he sometimes doesn’t go. 5 I don’t understand you. 6 You’re tired, aren’t you?


PROJECT



Pre-Intermediate

6

4a Ask students to find the words and phrases in the texts and work out their meaning.

From Glastonbury to Glyndebourne

Answers 1 a big money-making event 2 a big strong barrier 3 people who try to get into an event without a ticket or an invitation 4 short pieces of wood or metal that keep something in place 5 practical classes in which students learn by taking an active part 6 in the open air 7 established, started 8 best part

Background As well as Glastonbury, there are big pop music festivals in many other British cities, for example Reading and Leeds. There are also many smaller, local festivals, which give opportunities to new bands to perform in front of a bigger audience. In their early years, the big pop festivals such as Glastonbury were attended mainly by young people, but many of these early festival-goers have continued to enjoy the festival experience, so it is now quite normal to see fifty-year-olds rubbing shoulders with teenagers at Glastonbury. Folk music has never enjoyed mainstream popularity in Britain, so folk festivals tend to be much smaller than pop festivals. Glyndebourne has a rather upper-class image in Britain, reinforced by the formal dress code and high price of tickets. The Proms, on the other hand, are a popular event and are enjoyed by a wide variety of people, even people who do not necessarily go to classical music concerts regularly.

Pronunciation Glastonbury /"gl&st@nbri/ Oxfam /"Qksf&m/ promenade concerts /"prQm@nA:d "kQns@ts/

4b Ask students to find the phrases in the texts and then choose the correct meanings. Answers 1c 2b 3a 4c

Glyndebourne /"glaIndbO:n/ Greenpeace /"gri:npi:s/ Brighton /"braItn/

1 Discuss the questions as a class. 2 Discuss the photos and the questions as a class, then ask students to read the texts quickly to check their answers.

5 Ask students to match the words to form collocations, checking their answers in the text if necessary. Answers 1 good causes 2 a loyal following 3 music lovers 4 a season ticket 5 a country house 6 a dress code 7 a dinner jacket 8 an evening dress

Answers Glastonbury Festival is a rock music festival. People of all ages go. Tickets cost £155 for the weekend. The National Forest Folk Festival is a folk music festival but includes blues, country and some pop music. Tickets cost £54 for the weekend. The Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London is the closing concert of the world’s largest classical music festival. Tickets for the eight-week season cost £190. A ticket to ‘prom’ (to stand) for one evening costs £6.

What do you think? Discuss the questions as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.

Glyndebourne is an opera festival. People who like opera go to it. Tickets cost from £90 to £190 per evening.

3 Ask students to read the texts again and complete the chart by drawing it on a separate piece of paper. Put students into pairs to ask and answer questions.

PROJECT


Answers Name of festival Glastonbury

When the last weekend in June

The Cambridge Folk Festival

the last weekend in July

The National Forest Folk Festival

the first weekend in July

The BBC Proms The Glyndebourne Opera Festival

Where on a farm, near Glastonbury in the west of England just outside Cambridge

Pop / folk / classical pop

Cost £155 for the weekend

folk, blues, country, pop £100 for the weekend

in the National Forest, in the centre of England 8 weeks in the summer (from mid- central London, mainly in the July to the beginning of September) Royal Albert Hall

folk

£54 for the weekend

classical

From mid-May to the end of August Glyndebourne, Sussex

classical – opera

£6 to prom at one concert; £190 for a season ticket £95–£190


Pre-Intermediate

7

What do you think? Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups.

Englishness

PROJECT


Background As Britain’s population has grown and become much more diverse and multi-cultural, there is a feeling in Britain that some of the old stereotypes discussed in the text need to be replaced with a more modern definition of what it means to be English or British. Mr Bean, Fawlty Towers and Little Britain are all successful TV comedy shows. The sentences mentioned in paragraph 4 mean: An Englishman’s home is his castle: English people take great pride in their homes and feel they should be safe and free from outside interference there. Keep yourself to yourself: to not talk to or mix with other people very much. Mind your own business: not become involved in things that don’t directly concern you.

Pronunciation Eurotunnel /"ju:r@UtVnl/ Fawlty Towers /"fQlti "taU@z/ stereotype /"steri@taIp/

Notes on the unit 1 Discuss the questions as a class. 2 Ask students to read the text quickly, without worrying if they don’t understand every word. 3 Ask students to read the text again and match each paragraph to a picture. Answers 2E 3G 4F 5D 6B 7C 8A

4 Ask students to find the adjectives in the text and work out their meanings. Ask them to find the phrases in the text and think of the equivalents in their own language. Answers gloomy: miserable, pessimistic polite: not rude, well-mannered, careful not to offend anybody insular: not interested in other people and other cultures suspicious: always thinking that someone’s trying to trick you, or that people have bad intentions reserved: shy, not open or outgoing self-critical: able to see one’s own faults


Pre-Intermediate

8 Young people’s rights

Background Traditionally in Britain, the age of 18 is seen as the age when a young person becomes a full adult, though it used to be 21. In recent years there has been a perceived increase in the amount of crime and anti-social behaviour amongst children and young people, which has led to a debate on whether changes should be made to any of the ages mentioned in the text. For example, some people believe that the legal age for the consumption of alcohol should be raised to 21, while some think that the voting age should be reduced to 16 or 17, which is the age when someone can join the army and fight for their country . 1 Discuss the questions as a class. 2 Ask students to read the text and decide where the extra sentences should go. Answers (answers are at the bottom of page 18 in the student’s book)

3 Ask students to read the text again and write the minimum ages in the boxes. Answers 1: 12, 2: 17, 3: 17, 4: 16, 5: 13, 6: 17, 7: 18, 8: 18

4 Ask students to find the collocating verbs in the text. Answers 2 get 3 get 4 have / buy 5 leave 6 leave 7 work 8 join 9 give


PROJECT



Pre-Intermediate

9 From castles to cottages

Background Most people in Britain either own their own home or aspire to owning their own home – about 70% of properties are owner-occupied. In general people prefer houses to flats, because they value having a garden so much. Most people take out a loan as a 25-year mortgage in order to buy a home, and, as property is expensive, for many young people the monthly repayments on their mortgage can put a significant strain on their finances. The need to provide affordable homes for young people to buy is therefore an important political issue in Britain. As stated in the text, older buildings are popular in Britain, with many people feeling that older houses have more character than modern ones. The National Trust and English Heritage are both charitable organizations that try to preserve buildings of historical importance and make them available for members of the public to visit.

4 Ask students to find words in the text to match the definitions. Answers 1 The National Trust, English Heritage 2 the basement 3 reception rooms 4 an estate 5 the suburbs 6 hut 7 tower blocks 8 demolished 9 beams 10 cosy


PROJECT


Pronunciation stately home /"steItli "h@Um/ terraced house /"ter@st "haUs/ Tudor /"tju:d@/ Jacobean /dZ&k@"bi:@n/ Victorian /vIk"tO:ri@n/ Georgian /"dZO:dZ@n/

Notes on the unit 1 Discuss the questions as a class. 2 Ask students to read the texts quickly and identify the houses in the photos. Answers 1 terraced house 2 semi-detached house 3 bungalow 4 cottage 5 castle

3 Ask students to read the texts again and decide which type of house each person lives in. Answers 2 a bungalow 3 a stately home 4 an 18th century terraced house 5 a semi-detached house 6 a castle


Pre-Intermediate

10 Public holidays in the USA

Background As the text explains, many American workers only get two weeks of paid holiday a year (and in fact some workers start with only a week’s holiday!). In Britain, employers must give employees a minimum of 24 days paid holiday a year, and many people get more than this. Public holidays in the USA, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, are often a time when extended families get together and celebrate with a special meal.

Pronunciation Washington /"wQSINt@n/ Martin Luther King /"mA:tIn "lu:T@ "kIN/ Massachusetts /m&s@"tSu:sets/ Janus /"dZeIn@s/ 1 Discuss the questions as a class. 2 Ask students to read the texts quickly and match the names of the public holidays to the descriptions. Answers New Year’s Day e Washington’s Birthday a Independence Day d Columbus Day c Thanksgiving b Martin Luther King Day h Memorial Day j Labor Day g Veterans’ Day f Christmas Day i

4 Ask students to read the text again and answer the questions. Answers 1 Because he had two faces and looked back on the past and forward into the future. 2 a black American civil rights leader 3 Because he was the first President. 4 the American Civil War 5 British colonial rule in America ended. 6 on the first Tuesday in September 7 in 1492 8 All the men and women who have served in the country’s armed forces. 9 It was when the English settlers in America celebrated their first harvest. 10 Because Christianity is only one among many religions in America.


PROJECT


3 Ask students to find the words in the text and work out their meanings. Answers 1 to remember someone with special respect 2 people who go to live in another country 3 collecting food crops, such as cereals and fruit and vegetables 4 arriving at the end of a journey by sea or air 5 the killing of large numbers of people 6 the making of something new 7 the army, navy and air force 8 a day’s holiday, a day without work 9 (when a important person is) murdered 10 a formal talk to people on a formal occasion 11 a feeling of friendship between people 12 places in the ground where dead people are buried


Pre-Intermediate

11

3 Ask students to put the pictures on page 25 into chronological order, and find a sentence in the text for each one.

Stonehenge

Background Stonehenge is a popular monument with visitors from the UK and abroad. It was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1986. As explained in the text, it is also considered a very important site by members of the new age and hippie movements. The new age movement is associated with an alternative lifestyle and a rejection of modern western consumerism. It includes ideas from older religions and also some modern ideas about spirituality and environmentalism. Many people who belong to the new age movement choose to live in caravans as travellers, rather than settling in one place. The hippie movement began in the 1960s and is associated with an alternative lifestyle, a rejection of violence and the use of drugs to explore alternative states of consciousness. It has to be said that Stonehenge’s location does not live up to its romantic image, being situated close to two main roads. That, and the fact that it does not look very big from the distance you are allowed to see it from, means that many tourists find their visit to the site somewhat disappointing.

Pronunciation Stonehenge /st@Un"hendZ/ megalith /"meg@lIT/ Pythagoras /paI"T&g@r@s/ Preseli mountains /pr@"seli "maUnt@nz/ Salisbury Plain /"sO:lsbri "pleIn/ Merlin /"m3:lIn/ solstice /"sQlstIs/ 1 Discuss the questions as a class. 2 Ask students to read the text quickly to understand the general meaning, without worrying if they don’t understand every word.

Answers (pictures clockwise from top left) 3 These stones were arranged in an outer circle with other stones placed horizontally across the top, so that they joined together, making a complete circle. 4 Soon after 1500 BC, the original bluestones were rearranged in a horseshoe circle. 5 (large photograph) In 2000, the site was reopened for the summer solstice, so today you can get close to the stones, but you can’t climb on them. 1 It was a circular ditch with a bank on each side. Inside the circle there was another circle of large wooden posts, each about a metre wide. 2 Finally, the stones were transported to the site of Stonehenge and put in the centre, forming a double circle.

4 Ask students to find the words in the text and circle the correct definitions. Answers 1 make better 2 left unused 3 taken from one place to another 4 be in line with 5 the burning of bodies 6 death ceremonies 7 pulled with difficulty 8 going down 9 actions performed regularly as part of a ceremony 10 lines of people or vehicles travelling together


PROJECT



Pre-Intermediate

12 Britain’s most famous graffiti artist

Background As explained in the text, graffiti is illegal in Britain, and the removal of non-artistic graffiti is a major cost for some local authorities. However, there are people who recognize graffiti art as a legitimate form of art and would like to see it legalized. Some local authorities provide special ‘graffiti walls’ in public places, where young people can legitimately experiment with graffiti. As stated in the text, very little is known about Banksy. It is believed that he was born in 1974 and grew up in Bristol, in the south west of England.

Pronunciation Banksy /"b&Nksi/ pseudonym /"su:d@nIm/ 1 Discuss the questions as a class. 2 Ask students to read the text quickly and answer the question.

5 Ask students to read the text again and answer the questions. Answers 1 He has to keep his identity secret because graffiti is illegal. He uses a pseudonym to identify his work but not himself. 2 He had a difficult childhood so he did graffiti to make himself feel better and to give himself a voice. 3 Because he wasn’t very good with a spray can and also because it was quicker to use a stencil. 4 Banksy. 5 That he’s anti-war. 6 The animals’. 7 He likes to use it to create his own work. 8 Yes, it’s worth a lot of money. Famous people pay a lot for it.


PROJECT


Answer Banksy is Britain’s most famous graffiti artist, but we don’t actually know much about him, including his real name.

3 Ask students to find the words in the text and match them to the definitions. Answers 1g 2a 3i 4c 5f 6d 7b 8h 9e 10j

4 Ask students to find a sentence in the text to match each image. Answers 1 His message is usually anti-war, … 2 Banksy also paints his own versions of famous works of art. … he has added CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras to a landscape by the English painter John Constable. 3 He uses popular advertising icons to make people think about how powerful modern companies are. 4 (and 3) He takes what’s already there in the street and turns it into something unexpected.


Pre-Intermediate

13 Systems of government in Britain and the USA

Background Britain is unusual in having a non-elected upper house to its parliament. Members of the House of Lords were traditionally members of large landowning families, who had hereditary titles giving them the right to sit in the House of Lords. There has been some debate in recent years about whether this system is still appropriate in modern Britain, and following reforms, most of the members are now appointed (but not elected). There has also been debate about whether Britain should change its electoral system to one of proportional representation, rather than the ‘first past the post’ constituency system, in which the votes cast for losing candidates count for nothing. In the USA there are elections for members of the Congress and the Senate, as well as separate elections to choose the President. The US system of presidential elections is quite long and complicated, with primary elections and caucuses held in most states to decide which candidate from each party will run for president, followed by the main presidential election. However, the election of Barack Obama as President in 2009, the first African American to hold the office, was felt by many to be a vindication of the American democratic system.

Pronunciation Congress /"kQNgres/ Tories /"tO:riz/ Parliament /"pA:l@m@nt/ constituency /k@n"stItju@nsi/ Senate /"sen@t/ 1 Discuss the questions as a class. Answers USA: The President, the House of Representatives, the Republicans. Britain: the Queen, Parliament, the Prime Minister, the House of Commons, the Conservatives.

2 Ask students to read the texts quickly to understand the general meaning, without worrying if they don’t understand every word. 3 Ask students to decide which country the statements refer to, and add the equivalent information about the other country. Answers 2 USA; Britain: The two houses of Parliament are the House of Commons and the House of Lords. 3 Britain; USA: There are 535 members in the Legislative Branch. 4 USA; Britain: There is no fixed term for Lords. MPs can serve for five years. 5 USA; Britain: The Prime Minister cannot stop a bill from becoming law if both houses support it.

6 Britain; USA: He / She cannot be the head of government for more than eight years. 7 Britain; USA: There are elections every four years for the President, every two years for the Representatives and every six years for Senators. 8 Britain; USA: He’s /She’s Head of State, Head of Government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. 9 USA; Britain: His / Her second-in-command is the Deputy Prime Minister. 10 USA; Britain: the main parties are the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

4 Ask students to find the words in the texts and complete the table. Answers

USA

Britain

1 Head of State

the President

the Queen

2 Head of Government

the President

the Prime Minister

3 Deputy Head of Government

the Vice President

the Deputy Prime Minister

4 Elected members of government

Senators and Representatives

MPs (Members of Parliament)

5 Non-elected members of government

–

the Lords

5 Ask students to find the words in the texts and work out their meaning. Answers 1 the person you choose to give your views and to take political decisions for you 2 directly related by number 3 to stop something from happening 4 recognized and approved by authority 5 choose a person for a job 6 people with titles such as Lord and Lady 7 a document presenting a law, which MPs vote for or against 8 the period of time for which someone is elected to do a job 9 someone who seems to be the leader but who has no real power 10 a state led by a King or Queen


PROJECT



Pre-Intermediate

14 Three poems, three poets

Background As well as writing poetry, the doctor William Carlos Williams also wrote short stories and plays. Apparently, the majority of his patients knew nothing about his writing. Vicki Feaver is highly regarded as a modern poet, and she has won several awards for her poetry. Brian Patten is regarded as one of Britain’s leading contemporary poets, and he writes extensively for children as well as adults. 1 Ask students to read the poems, then discuss as a class what is similar about them. Suggested Answer They are all written in free verse, i.e. without a strict rhyme scheme. They are all very conversational, and are about relationships, containing a personal message from one person to another.

2 Ask students to read This is just to say again and answer the questions. Answers 1 The poet is talking to someone he knows very well and shares the house with – probably a partner. 2 He’s eaten the plums that were in the ice box because they looked so nice. 3 No, he isn’t really sorry because he describes how delicious the plums tasted and seems to enjoy remembering how nice they were.

3 Ask students to find the adjectives in the poem, then decide which fruits the adjectives could describe.

4 Ask students to read Coat again and answer the questions. Answers 1 an ex-partner 2 She’s felt that the person has stopped her from being free. 3 They’re no longer partners and she feels lonely in her freedom.

5 Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs, or discuss as a class. Answers The language is simple, informal and conversational. Yes, you’d use the same words for This is just to say.

6 Ask students to read A blade of grass again and answer the questions. Answers 1 The poet is talking to a girlfriend. He feels she’s asking too much of him. 2 Because she thinks she deserves something that takes more effort from the poet. 3 That you don’t necessarily appreciate simple things anymore. 4 The blade of grass is covered in frost (ice that looks like powder). The blade of grass is more meaningful because of its simplicity than anything a poet could write or invent. You are angry because you feel someone hasn’t been fair to you.


PROJECT


Answers He uses the words ‘delicious’, ‘sweet’ and ‘cold’ to describe the plums. 1 soft: all the fruit, apart from apples and pears (pears could be soft, but apples shouldn’t be) 2 hard: apples, pears 3 crisp: apples, pears 4 sour: oranges, lemons, apples, grapes 5 juicy: all the fruit, apart from bananas


Pre-Intermediate

15 Frankenstein – Mary Shelley

Background The novel Frankenstein remains popular today, and is often studied by school pupils aged 14–16. However, the story of Frankenstein has also led to a whole genre of horror films, and it is through these film representations that most people are familiar with the character and story of Frankenstein. It is a common misconception that Frankenstein is the monster’s name. As the text explains, the monster doesn’t in fact have a name, and it is the doctor who is Frankenstein. The term ‘Frankenstein’ is often used nowadays to refer to doctors and scientists who carry out radical research in the field of biology and genetics.

Pronunciation Frankenstein /"fr&nk@nstaIn/ Mary Shelley /"me@ri "Seli/ Percy Bysshe Shelley /"p3:si "bIS "Seli/ Lord Byron /lO:"d "baIr@n/ 1 Discuss the questions as a class. Ask students to read the text quickly to check their ideas. Answers It was written in 1816. Frankenstein was the person who created the monster. The idea came to the author in a dream after she and her friends had been discussing ghost stories. There had been violent storms in the summer of 1816, which gave the author the idea of using the power of electricity as a feature in her story. They also reminded her of some horrific experiments she had heard about, involving dead bodies and electricity.

3 Ask students to read the extract again and decide if the sentences are true or false. Answers 2 false 3 true 4 true 5 false 6 false 7 true 8 true 9 false 10 false

4a Ask students to read the extract again and find words to match the definitions. Answers 1 a laboratory 2 a flat 3 a mast 4 lightning 5 creature 6 ugly 7 huge 8 wires

4b Ask students to match the words and phrases to their opposites. Answers 1e 2d 3b 4f 5h 6c 7g 8a

5 Ask students to find more strong adjectives in the extract. Answers awful, horrible, ugly, huge


PROJECT


2 Ask students to read the extract from Frankenstein. Discuss as a class how the author builds up suspense. Answer The author suggests what is going to happen but doesn’t say exactly what it is. When Frankenstein begins to create his living being, he says: ‘I did not realise then what a terrible mistake I was making.’ And the reader doesn’t know what the mistake is going to be. The author keeps the reader in suspense by describing in detail each stage of the creation of the monster. Then, just when you expect the monster to come alive, nothing happens. The reader doesn’t know whether the experiment is going to be successful or not. But then the body begins to move ... ‘slowly, terribly, the body came alive’.


Pre-Intermediate

16 Two poems from the Caribbean

Background Una Marsen (1905–1965) was a Jamaican writer who wrote poems, plays and programmes for the BBC. She spent some years living in London, and wrote poems and plays about the racism she encountered there. John Agard (born 1949) is from Guyana. His work is included in collections of poetry studied by children aged 14 to 16 in Britain. He currently lives in Brighton, on the south coast of England.

Pronunciation Caribbean /k&r@"bi:@n/ Cameo /"k&mi@U/ Una Marson /"ju:n@ "mA:s@n/ assonance /"&s@n@ns/ John Agard /"dZQn "eIgA:d/ alliteration /@lIt@"reISn/ 1 Ask students to produce a list in pairs, or produce a list with the whole class. You could also give them any other words from the poems and ask them if they think they are typical of the Caribbean, explaining what they mean, e.g. palm trees, blue skies, coconuts, mountains, trucks, bananas, dust, drums, bamboo, shanty towns, dustbins 2 Ask students to read the poem quickly, without worrying if they don’t understand every word. 3 Ask students to find words in the poem to match the definitions. Answers 2 beyond 3 shadow 4 breezes 5 truck 6 laden 7 curve 8 everlasting

4 Ask students to read the poem again and answer the questions. Answers 1 Because she is painting a picture of the background of the sky and the sea and the mountains, with the details of the women breaking stones and the truck carrying bananas in the foreground, as if standing out from the background – just like a cameo brooch. 2 To create a picture of a scene without too many words. 3 The vowel sounds are mostly long, creating a sense of a slow and gentle lifestyle. 4 A feeling of calm, peace and gentle movement. 5 In the second verse the poet focuses on specific details and activity in the foreground. 6 The sounds of breaking stones and of a truck going along the road. 7 To show that the hard reality of the modern world exists in this natural paradise. 8 The last three lines show the calm beauty of the place returning.

5 Ask students to put the lines of the recipe in order, and check that they understand the vocabulary. Answers 1 Bring the water to the boil. 2 Add a pinch of salt to the water. 3 Put in the pasta. Do not cover the pan. Cook it for 8 – 10 minutes. 4 While the pasta is boiling, simmer the tomato sauce over a low heat. Stir it from time to time. 5 Strain the pasta and stir the sauce into it, mixing well.

6 Ask students to read the poem and discuss the questions in pairs. They can refer to the glossary. Answers It’s called ‘Pan Recipe’ because it uses the language of cookery. The mood is angry, not at all calm.

7 Ask students to answer the questions in pairs. Answers 1 The plantation owners / colonists. 2 Anger. 3 The colonists, the people in authority. 4 The slaves and their descendants. 5 The fever of the slaves and their descendants. 6 The slaves’ and their descendants’. 7 The plantation owners. 8 The slaves and their descendants. 9 The slaves and their descendants. 10 The anger and resentment of the slaves’ descendants.

8 Ask students to work in pairs to find the examples of the poetic techniques. Answers end-rhyme: pain – again, dustbin – biscuit tin assonance: pain – rain – rage, again – strains, over – slow – grow, well – hell, sound – pound, dustbin – biscuit tin, down – town, alone – explode alliteration: bring – boil, pinch – pain, rain – rage, fire – fever, cut – cure, whip – well, stir – sound

What do you think? Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups.

PROJECT

Put students into small groups to write their lists. Ask groups to read out items on their lists and ask the class to comment.


Pre-Intermediate

17 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens

Background Dickens remains one of the most popular authors in the English-speaking world. As mentioned in the text about the author, his books have been made into numerous films and TV dramas, so even people who have never read the original works are familiar with many of Dickens’ stories and characters. One of the many film or TV versions of A Christmas Carol is always on television during the Christmas period.

Pronunciation Charles Dickens /"tSA:lz "dIkInz/ Scrooge /skru:dZ/ Bob Cratchit /bQb "kr&tSIt/ 1 Ask students to read the text about Charles Dickens. Discuss the questions as a class.

4 Ask students to find the adjectives in the text, then match them with the categories. Answers weather: cold, frosty, foggy a nice person: helpful, kind a bad thing to say about a person: stupid two pairs of words which mean the same: angry, cross; little, small two pairs of words which are opposites: happy, unhappy; rich, poor


PROJECT

Students could do the first task as homework, or in class, working in pairs. Students can do the second task for homework, or could do the research for homework and then complete the task in class, working in pairs.

2 Ask students to read the extract quickly. Discuss the question as a class. Answer ‘A Scrooge’ is someone who is mean with money. It is commonly used by British people to refer to someone who is mean and miserable, especially around Christmas time.

3 Ask students to read the extract again and answer the questions. Answers 1 The three characters are Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Scrooge’s nephew. Bob Cratchit works as a clerk in Scrooge’s office. 2 Because they are using candles to light the office. 3 Scrooge treats Bob badly. Bob’s fire is smaller than Scrooge’s, he’s cold and he’s afraid to say what he thinks. 4 That Christmas is a ridiculous waste of time and shouldn’t be celebrated. 5 Scrooge says: ‘You’re too poor to be merry’. He calls his nephew ‘stupid’. When his nephew invites him for dinner, he says, ‘I’ll see you dead first’, and he won’t wish him a merry Christmas. 6 Scrooge doesn’t believe in celebrating Christmas, whereas his nephew thinks that Christmas is a time to be helpful and kind to other people. 7 It’s like the nephew’s. 8 To wish him a merry Christmas and to invite him to Christmas dinner. 9 He’s a kind, generous, friendly, optimistic person.


Pre-Intermediate

18

What do you think?

Rabbit-Proof Fence – Doris Pilkington Garimara


PROJECT


Background Doris Pilkington Garimara is an Australian author from an aboriginal family. The character of Molly is based on her mother, Molly Craig, who escaped from the Moore River Native Settlement and travelled for nine weeks to reach home. Doris herself was taken to Moore River when she was three and a half years old. A later book, Under the Wintamarra Tree, recounts her own escape from the settlement. The children who were abducted in this way are often referred to in Australia as the ‘Stolen Generation’. As discussed in the What do you think? exercise, many victims and their families feel that the Australian government should pay compensation for their suffering.

Pronunciation Doris Pilkington Garimara /"dQrIs "pIlkINt@n g&ri"mA:r@/ Aborigines /&b@"rIdZ@niz/ 1 Discuss the question as a class. Then ask them to read the short text and ask what more they learnt from it. 2 Ask students to read about the novel, then discuss the question as a class, or ask students to discuss it in pairs. 3 Ask students to read the extract quickly, without worrying if they don’t understand every word. 4 Ask students to find the words in the extract and match them with their meanings. Answers 1c 2i 3b 4j 5g 6d 7e 8f 9a 10h

5 Ask students to read the extract again and answer the questions. Answers 1 Molly is the oldest. Daisy is the youngest. 2 Molly: practical, intelligent, optimistic, cautious. Gracie: pessimistic, moody. Daisy: quiet, shy. 3 Molly didn’t need a map to find her way. She knows about tracking. She knows how to find a place to sleep. 4 You learn that the Aborigines understand the natural world and how to survive in it. 5 The settlements were bad places, and the people in charge were cruel to the children who lived there.


Pre-Intermediate

19 My Oedipus Complex – Frank O’Connor

Background Oedipus was a mythical king of Thebes who fulfilled a prophecy by (unknowingly) killing his father and marrying his mother, bringing disaster on his city as a result. The term ‘Oedipus Complex’ was first used by Sigmund Freud to describe the desire by a child to possess their parent of the opposite sex and eliminate the parent of the same sex. According to classical psychoanalytical theory, this is a natural stage that children pass through and if it is not resolved successfully, it can lead to psychological disorders in adults.

Pronunciation Oedipus /"i:d@p@s/ Frank O’Connor /"fr&Nk @U"kQn@/ 1 Ask students to read the text about Frank O’Connor. Discuss the question as a class. 2 Ask students to read the extract quickly to check their answer.

4 Ask students to read the extract again and answer the questions. Answers 1 During the First World War. 2 He’s 5 years old. 3 Because his father was away. 4 Because they had babies. 5 Students’ own answers. 6 It was very comfortable and he felt very close to his mother. 7 Because he didn’t realise what life would be like when his father came home. 8 Because he wasn’t going back to the war. 9 He doesn’t have all his mother’s attention. 10 Because God didn’t do everything you asked for when you prayed.


PROJECT


Answer The text is about a boy’s close relationship with his mother and his competitive relationship with his father.

3 Ask students to work individually or in pairs to guess the meaning of the words. Answers 1 secretly, without anyone noticing 2 at dawn, when the sun came up 3 warm bed covers 4 what things we should do 5 didn’t have enough money for 6 difficult to please 7 worried and nervous 8 reasonable, treating people equally 9 to fight 10 made it too easy for him


Pre-Intermediate

20 Notes from a Small Island – Bill Bryson

Background As well as writing travel books, Bill Bryson has also written books on the English language and on scientific subjects. He was born in Des Moines in the US, and moved to England in 1973, spending most of his adult life in North Yorkshire. He went back to live in America in 1995, but returned to England to live in Norfolk in 2003. In 2003 voters in the UK chose Bryson’s book Notes from a Small Island as the book which best sums up British identity and the state of Britain today. Marks and Spencer (also called M & S) is a chain of shops in Britain and now other countries, selling clothes that are considered to be of good quality and reasonably priced, but not reflecting the most extreme fashions or the most modern styles. A lot of British people buy basic items of clothing there such as underwear and socks. They are also famous for their high quality food.

Pronunciation Bill Bryson /"bIl "braIs@n/ teacake /"ti:keIk/ scone /skQn/ Shrewsbury /"Sr@Uzbri/ or /"Sru:zbri/ Marks & Spencer /"mA:ks @n "spens@/ 1 Ask students to read the text about Bill Bryson, then discuss the question as a class. 2a Ask students to match the lines in A and B which have the same meaning, either individually or in pairs. This should help them to understand the text, without spending too much time having to try and understand every word.

3a Ask students to find the words and phrases in the extract and work out their meanings. Answers 1 a humorous remark 2 in a friendly way 3 a brief showing of a smile 4 not too critical 5 exciting ingredients

3b Ask students to find the words in the extract and match them with their meanings. Answers 1e 2g 3c 4a 5d

4 Ask students to read the extract again and tick the statements that represent Bill Bryson’s views. Answers 2 Humour is part of their conversation, even if they don’t know people well. 4 They are content with small, simple things. 6 They feel guilty about enjoying themselves. 7 They try to look on the bright side of life. 8 Bill Bryson likes their approach to life.


PROJECT

Students can do their project as homework, but could also prepare it in class, working in pairs.

Answers 1d 2f 3a 4e 5g 6b 7h 8c

2b Ask students to read the extract quickly. Discuss the question as a class.

A000606

Answer The British are happier. They like laughing and joking. The British are easy to please. They don’t expect much, so they are not disappointed. They are positive and optimistic. They try to see the good side of things.
